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April Fools' Day
The Neopets Team are practical jokers, since they always celebrate April Fools' Day! These days, most users expect them to pull a prank and are ready for whatever The Neopets Team comes up with, although a quick glance on the Neoboards on the first of April will reveal that some poor Neopians forget the date and become sucked in by TNT's latest ploy.Jellyneo http://www.jellyneo.net/?go=fools2001 2001 The tradition began on April Fools' Day of 2001, when Neopets decided to give a little makeover to a few pets. Ok, 17 pets. The original joke page is still viewable here! 2002 People logged in to their accounts to find that the pesky Pant Devil had helped himself to the contents of their inventory and safety deposit box! Calm was restored later that the day when TNT revealed that the whole thing had been a hoax. People got their items back and everybody was happy again--everybody except the Pant Devil, that is, because he stinks. 96 pantdevil gocart.gif 2003 This time, Neopets unveiled a totally rad and tubular version: Neopetz!! TNT further baited their hook by claiming that they had decided to eliminate Neopoints, and from then on everything in the shops would be free! They also introduced Nick Neopia, a totally awesome dude who promised to act as your tour guide for the new site. coolchia.gif|''And now, back to Yo Yurble!'' nickneopia.gif|''I'm so cool I have my own force field!'' It was certainly a drastic joke; it sent the Neoboards into utter and total chaos! The only hint that TNT might not have completely lost their minds was the altering of the copyright information at the bottom of the page to claim that "NEOPETS, characters, logos, names and all related indicia (indications) are TOTALLY trademarks of Neopets, Inc." (no "z" in "Neopets"). Although by this point, most Neopians were already too busy pondering what they could get their hands on for free at the Hidden Tower to bother reading the small print! 2004 They announced the "next" expansion set for the ever growing trading card game called Quiguki Armageddon. TNT really pulled out all the stops and the whole day's news was centered on adding Quiggle related things and showing some sneak peeks of the upcoming trading cards. Some of this new content included an avatar, some buddy icons, a How-To-Draw featuring a character from the set, and a Neopedia entry. q87.gif quigukiblacksmith19.gif Once the joke news was taken down, all you had to do was refresh the news page. This avatar can be obtained every April Fools' Day by doing the same thing. 329.gif The long-lost Neopedia entry, The Story Of Xanstalon, which was removed from the site when the April Fools' joke was over, was returned to the Neopedia in Y16. Since April 2004, you will not be able to get new news and content on the French, Italian (in reality 2008), Spanish, Korean (in reality 2009), Japanese (in reality 2008), and Chinese (in reality 2015) Neopets sites. But the good news is that you can continue to use the fun services, including games, in Latin! If you were unfamiliar with Latin, they felt it would be a great opportunity to practice... or play the site in English. newtemplate_it.gif|Translation: Confused? Click here to discover a lot of news! 2005 April 1st, 2005 featured over 50 new pets that were apparently going to be released... we'd be having pet days every three days! According to Donna in an editorial, some of the pet designs were simply old pets that never made it. A little while after the prank, a vote was held to see which one would be added as a real pet to the site. The Llamameeah ended up winning and debuted later that year as the Gnorbu! Since then, several of the other pets have also been added to the site as petpets; these being the Calabat, the Carmariller, the Duocorn, the Gwalla, the Petoot, the Slymook, the Soreen and the Urchull. The Leofinn had a slight make-over before being released as the Lellefisk. lamameeah_blue_baby.gif|This Llamameeah would later become the Gnorbu. 2006 For each page loaded, you had to pay anywhere from 3NP to 75NP! As you browsed the site, an annoying little box floated above the page to inform you of how much you currently owed. NeoCharge was only a prank, which was extremely fortunate for those users who began holding competitions on the Neoboards to see who could accumulate the highest debts! What's This? Here are some of the various charges for loading certain pages around the site: *Petpages - 75NP *Neomail - 15NP *Guild Messages - 12NP *Games - 12NP *Freebies - 10NP *Neoboards - 8NP *Shopping - 6NP *Random Pages - 3NP Neopets announced this new feature in the news: New Feature! - Most of you may have already noticed the nifty new window to the right! (If you use a theme, don't worry! It will be available in all themes early next week.) This will help us fight inflation and help reduce stress on our servers, both of which will help make Neopets more fun for everyone. You can click here for more information! If you find any bugs, glitches or problems, please let us know! aishacollector.gif 2007 Neopets was "forced" to remove the Battledome as well as Battledome-related things such as shops and the Neoboard for reasons that they couldn't say. grarrl_mutant_baby.gif "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we've had to permanently shut down the Battledome and its associated activities. Obviously, this is not something we wanted to do, and as much as we'd like to fully explain, we aren't allowed to comment at this time. We'll just leave it at that for now. We know there are many, many Neopians who have worked very, very hard and spent countless Neopoints to train their Neopets for the Battledome. We would like to thank you for participating in past wars and events, and for keeping Neopia safe via Defenders of Neopia. Please know that we haven't forgotten you. We are currently working on new activities that will put these stats to use. Your efforts will NOT be wasted. We have also been ordered to remove certain Battledome weapons from the site. We realise there are many Neopoints invested there, as well, so instead of simply deleting them from everyone's account, we're putting together a Battledome weapon exchange program. We're still working out the details, but we hope to allow everyone to trade in their weapons for another item of equal or lesser rarity. We will have this ready by Wednesday to comply with the agreement. We're sorry for the short notice, and for not having alternatives ready for you now, but it was unavoidable. We're working as fast as we can and we think the new stuff will be quite cool. We hope to have everything else up by mid October!" - The Neopets Team 2008 In 2008, Neopets unveiled their latest innovation: Neobuddies! When you logged in to the site, you were presented with a pop-up of one of a number of Neopian characters, informing you that you had been "chosen" to sign up and test out the new "NeoBuddy Beta System." In all, you could have been approached by Captain Scarblade, Hannah, Isca, Master Vex, Prince Jazan, Princess Amira, Roxton A. Colchester III, Sophie, and even by his supreme highness, Dr. Sloth. They were rather annoying and just kept on appearing until you gave in and agreed to take a questionnaire. The questionnaire was supposedly designed to judge your personality type, the idea being that you would then be assigned a Neopets character with a similar personality to your own who would show up as you browsed the site and give you helpful hints and suggestions. But your answers did not seem to matter as most people ended up being paired with Bug Eye McGee. A small percentage of users were slightly luckier and ended up with Sir Fufon Lui. 604.png|''Me big eyes are an advantage; they let me see lots more than I would if I had small eyes like everyone else.'' 2009 Upon logging into their account, everybody had their site theme automatically changed to the "Neopets Green" theme. Clicking on the link in the pop-up took you to a page outlining all the features users could "look forward to" with the impending arrival of Neoplants. (A few curious users also discovered that www.neoplants.com redirected to the main Neopets page.) Amongst the planned changes was the conversion of Neopia to Plantopia, with the world map screen bearing a banner to advertise the upcoming switch. fools09_02_b.png To give users somewhere to discuss (and inevitably freak out about) the upcoming changes, TNT created a new Neoplants message board. But it wasn't all fun and games, as something far more sinister seemed to claim all the stock in the Hidden Tower. This year marked the end of a period known in Neopian history as the Golden Thousands after the Stalk Street Crash of 2009 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression: interest rates had apparently been lowered by 1% for each account type (though smart players would have noticed that when you clicked the "collect interest" button, they still got the amount they should have received and not what it said on the button). 2010 The first part of this year's prank was easily spotted, simply because... well, it was just easily spotted. The creation of a 3D Battledome was announced, allowing for battles to happen in three dimensions! You can click here to view an archive of the videos. With the help of Morton G. Firefly, users were given the opportunity to prank their Neofriends. There were four types of pranks available. disintegrate_sample.gif|''Your Neopet a splode'' To prevent the prank from being ruined by pesky Neoboarders, TNT put up word filters to hide elements of the prank so that it wouldn't be spoiled. 2011 A Scourgies pandemic swept Neopia in 2011 shortly after midnight NST on April 1st. Affected pets would suffer the symptoms of an individual with influenza. Visiting the hospital only fueled the panic as the countdown clock of doom ticked down. The number of pets infected increased as more users logged on. fools11_hospital_th.png The Pharmacy shopkeeper would tell you: "If you're looking for a cure for the new disease, we don't have one. They are working on something over at the Hospital, maybe check there." BULLETIN am NST: Neopets all over Neopia have complained of not feeling well. Crowds are rushing to the Pharmacy for a cure, but the illness has not yet been identified. Scientists across the land are hard at work, trying to find the source of the illness so they can contain it as they search for a treatment. BULLETIN am NST: Symptoms of the unidentified illness include growths on the face and body, a persistent cough, and severe headache. Neopians are encouraged to remain indoors and avoid those showing symptoms of the illness. It is recommended that Neopians cover the gaps in the doors and windows of their Neohomes to keep out germs. BULLETIN am NST: Neopian Hospital over-run with sick Neopets, all suffering from this mysterious illness. Further symptoms include itchiness, dizziness, and muscle aches. If you have any of these symptoms, please avoid contact with healthy Neopets, drink plenty of fluids, and rest in a darkened room. BULLETIN am NST: Neopian health crisis worsens as doctors, chemists, and potion-makers scramble to find a cure. Panic sets in among a worried populace; shelves at the Pharmacy are emptied by Neopets desperate for a cure for this horrible illness. Meanwhile, cases have been reported in every Neopian land, making it a pandemic. BULLETIN pm NST: The mystery disease has been identified as the Scourgies. It is highly contagious. Avoiding contact with other Neopets is critical at this stage so the disease does not spread any further. Doctors are continuing to look for a cure before all hope is lost. Thankfully, a number of cures were available and you could give them to another pet. Other people could heal your ill pet as well. Cures did not show up in your inventory. Rather, they were directly applied to your pet and worn for all to see (unless your pet had a special body type). fools11_curedlutari.png|''I guess Slorgs are a step up from coral scabs!'' Cures wore off in about half an hour, and then your pet would be re-infected with Scourgies, starting the process all over again. Pets could fight in the Battledome even while they had Scourgies. For curing a lot of other pets and using Blazing Hot Soup, you had a chance to win the Blazingly Hot Soup Background. As the infection continued to spread, hazard signs began to appear in most place around Neopia. fools11_hazard_ki.png At the very start of April 2nd, the hospital returned to normal and the wooden signs were taken down. 2012 Unfortunately, the Shop Wizard was a bit out of sorts. As he insisted that he could work, however, the shoppers of Neopia tried to continue as if everything were normal. fools12_wizard1.png fools12_wizard2.png fools12_wizard3.png fools12_wizard4.png With the Shop Wizard out of commission and thousands of people still looking to prank, they next turned to... fools12_trade1.png ...the "capable" hands of Hoka. While the Tyrannian Kacheek seemed friendly enough, he was easily confused and dim-witted, limiting the offers you could make to dung items and up to 1,000 NP. He could also slightly mix up your offer. Upon arriving at the Auction House, it was immediately apparent to everyone that something was amiss. While Hoka might have been overjoyed, the item-seeking populace was less so. Many disappointingly began to bid on the dung items. Much to their aggravation, however, Nigel the stockbroker Chia was bidding on everything in sight. While people were at first thrilled to have their pet change into a Custard Kau, Darigan Grundo, Maraquan Poogle, Darigan Quiggle, or Strawberry Mynci, they quickly realized that the crazy scientist had zapped the wrong pet! Those who had gone to read the news were in for an even nastier surprise. fools12_pound1.png fools12_pound2.png They were greeted with a number of random messages. Any attempts to block this mysterious spammer, would result in another account sending more random messages! These deeds were done by various Malkus Vile-themed accounts. 2013 The Neopets Team proudly announced that they would once again be making a foray into the realms of real life merchandise. Plushie and trading card collectors all over Neopia rejoiced. First in the showcase was a board game version of the Battledome, and a reality-bending board game version of the entire site for players to enjoy in their living rooms. Red Pteri.png|''Now with no Red Pteri!'' Next, they unveiled their new line of "handy household products", including an Esophagor Waste Receptical and, worryingly, a D.I.Y. Cosmetic Surgery Kit. fools13_7.png As if all that wasn't enough, TNT were going to attempt to put their own distinct stamp on the gourmet food market with these, erm, "delicious" creations: fools13_8.png 2014 After years of service at the Pound, Dr. Death had decided it was finally time to retire from his position as Pound Director. Neopians eager to adopt, trade or abandon their pets that day were greeted with a large CLOSED sign on the property, its services discontinued until a suitable replacement had been found. fools14_2.png In the meantime, however, kind Neopians were chosen at random through Random Events to foster the poor pets in his absence. Later in the day when the news was released, a contest was held to determine who the next Pound Director would be. Neopians could choose between four different contestants - Bug Eye McGee, Count Von Roo, Rosie, or the Kreludan Defender Robot. After midnight, Dr. Death returned and re-opened the Pound, and the contest concluded with Rosie as the winner. As a result, she became the overseer of the Neopian Pound Neoboard. 2015 Following the sale of Neopets to JumpStart the year prior, Neopians were treated to a brand new JumpStart-ified site theme that featured images of the JumpStart world and its characters. Complaints of eyestrain caused by the blue-on-red color scheme plagued the Neoboards throughout the day. The theme was then permanently added to everyone's theme collections the following morning. fools15_1.png The Map of Neopia displayed a map for the JumpStart game instead. The real map was hidden underneath it; clicking it would remove it from the page. JS_Map.jpg|''Maybe if I walk towards Windy Hollow, I'll end up in the Haunted Woods?'' Like the Map of Neopia, the Games Room page was covered up by a list of games available in the JumpStart game. JS_Games.jpg|''Maybe if I click on Bubble Trouble, I'll end up playing Jubble Bubble?'' 2016 TNT, ever anticipating their users' needs, developed the revolutionary Neopian Net Worth Calculator! This sophisticated algorithm looked at various aspects of your account, from your Neopoints and Stamp Album to your pet's taste in wearables, to determine your net worth. fools16_calculator2.png The calculator would check thirty different statistics, usually taking ten to thirty minutes each; once it reached the end of the list, it would begin additional checks to ensure accuracy. Several new clubs were made available to Neopians, with eligibility depending on their calculated net worth. fools16_innercircle1.png Inner Circle: Join other influential, successful Neopians in a prestigious club that will open doors to some of the most exclusive features on Neopets. Always wanted an additional pet? Two? A Plushie Draik? Unconverted, you say? It's yours for the asking. New features and privileges will be added on a regular basis. Chic UCs: Your Unconverted Pets are the envy of all, but you've always yearned for one more privilege - if only you could clothe them! Join this club and turn your UCs into fashionistas with exclusive clothing items just for them! New items added weekly. Paintbrushes Aplenty: For deep-pocketed Neopians, few items are unattainable, for no price is too high. What then, can set you apart from the nouveau riche? How about exclusive paintbrushes released just for you and a select few others? Members will soon be able to own Valentine, Birthday, Stained Glass and other exclusive PBs! Club Lutari: The storm on Lutari Island is fast receding, and we have set up our exclusive club on this exotic land. Needless to say, only members are allowed to embark on this island, where privileged fun is the order of the day. The Connoisseur: It is no fault of yours that you enjoy nothing but the best, so why must you pay for it? Enjoy rare, exclusive items at great discounts available to members only. TNT also released four new items, each with the potential to raise your net worth even further. While the Stamp Retriever and Avvie Pro were only available to users who had already gained access to the Inner Circle, the Name Change Certificate and Neocash Printer could be purchased by anyone while they were on sale during the first of April. Unfortunately, not a single user figured out where they were being sold. In the end, the Neopian Net Worth Calculator came to a surprising conclusion: that every Neopets user, regardless of accumulated wealth, social standing, or taste in wearables, was priceless. As such, everyone who used the calculator was awarded with a Priceless Seal. In other news, TNT announced the reveal of Dr. Sloth Returns, an all-new movie based on one of the greatest conflicts in Neopian history! The final announcement of the day was Neopets 3D, a virtual world in the vains of Petpet Park in which characters may or may not be required to wear clothing. DemoNeopia3D.jpg 2017 In 2017, TNT decided to pave the way for a nicer, friendlier Neopia with the grand opening of the Befriending Dome! This innovative new site feature will allow users to make friends, compliment each other, give gifts, and more! Not only can the Befriending Dome be used to make new friends and strengthen bonds with the ones you already have, you'll be able to befriend characters from all across Neopia as well! fools17_dome.PNG TNT decided to hold another poll with three new colors to choose from: Marshmallow, Inverted, and Blurry! fools17_marshmallow.png fools17_inverted.png fools17_blurry.png Marshmallow: (Formerly exclusive to Grundos) Marshmallows are chubby, always spreading cheer and popular amongst all. You may have a little trouble getting clothes on your pet, though. Inverted: Are you bored of seeing your pet in the same way, day in and day out? Well, with this new look, you'll have a whole new perspective about it! Blurry: If you're sad that you have astigmatism and can't see your pet clearly while everyone else can, have no fear, as with this paintbrush, everyone sees blurry! In the end, there was a pretty equal 33%/33%/34% split among the three options, or so TNT would have us believe! So, the winning result ended up being... MarshInvBluDo! 2018 Opening in 2020, NeopiaLand® is a brand new theme park planned to be built in China! NeopiaLand will be based on the land and lore of Neopia, and will feature an outdoor amusement park, a dining and commercial district named "Neopia Central" and a five-star luxury hotel we call "AstroVilla". The park will feature 32 rides in five themed areas, 'The Haunted Woods', 'Kiko World' 'Mystery Island', 'Roo Island' and 'Faerieland'. Our construction manager also enjoys telling anyone who is willing to listen to him about plans for a sixth land, but we assure you that no such land exists. The park is expected to be open to the public by the second half of 2020. fools2018_concept_1.png|Tubular Racing: Navigate your Kiko tube through a not-so-lazy river. Watch out for the sudden drops, and the laser-guided arrows that may suddenly puncture your tube! (Only experienced swimmers are allowed on this ride.) fools2018_concept_2.png|Terror on Techo Mountain: This ride features a 400 ft drop, a loop and a barrel roll around a bubbling volcano that's billowing smoke. fools2018_concept_3.png|Voyage on Virtupets: Get aboard the Virtupets Space Station and voyage through the stars in this magical indoor ride that runs on magnetic rails. Watch out for Evil Fuzzles! fools2018_concept_4.png|Cyodrake's Gaze: Ride on the mysterious flying ship that introduced the rest of Neopia to Shenkuu. You may ride with a faint heart, but not a weak stomach. Oh, and watch out for Bonju! Other rides/attractions include: *Faerieland Drop Tower - Enjoy the free fall ride of your life...from the clouds. Just like Faerieland did. *The Games Room - A state-of-the-art gaming arena where you can play arcade versions of Kass Basher, Igloo Garage Sale, Rink Runner and other popular mini-games! *Temple of 1000 Traps - Find your way through this ancient tomb, but beware - there are one thousand different traps that you may get caught in. *Jelly Bounce - Now this sounds like a great idea, but of course no such feature exists. To accompany NeopiaLand, a new TV station was also announced, with various programming already greenlit to enter production: *The Tiara: A young Fyora rises to the occasion and accepts the reigns of a magical kingdom that is up in the clouds amidst many challenges. One of them is a dark force looking to bring her down. *Neovia Falls: Twin Shoyrus are sent to spend the summer with their great-aunt Graunty Stacy in the mysterious town of Neovia Falls. *Shenkuu Valley: Reizo, Kaia and three of their friends have capitalized on Kaia's Sight to launch a start-up in Shenkuu Valley that deals in foreseeing and preventing misfortunes. *Altered Kougra: The year is Y300. A Kougra has been brought back from the dead and faces a mission that can prove terrifying. *Cheeky Yurbles: An audacious street gang of Yurbles. A harsh Gelert appointed to stop them and their actions. Tears will be shed. The planned TV shows above are coming to the following channels: *The Tiara = NetrixThe Crown https://www.netflix.com/title/80025678 *Neovia Falls = Eyrie XDGravity Falls https://disneyxd.disney.com/gravity-falls *Shenkuu Valley = HBS = Home Bruce ShowSilicon Valley https://www.hbo.com/silicon-valley *Altered Kougra = This Netrix gag is quite repetitive, no?Altered Carbon https://www.netflix.com/title/80097140 *Cheeky Yurbles = BruceBox and BBCPesky Blinders https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442560/ (Just kidding) Category:Events